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This post summarizes a recent article published in MIT, Sloan Management Review. Find the full article here The last time we posted, we discussed the concept of patient-initiated research and the “N of 1” approach. Since then, we conducted surveys in 10 countries to learn about all types of consumer-driven product innovations, including those in the medical field. Next, we did more studies to learn about medical-product innovation development, in particular.
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Patients can be diagnosed with sleep apnea at home using a home sleep apnea test (HSAT) or in the sleep lab with polysomnography (PSG). Several studies have found that medically uncomplicated patients at high risk of obstructive sleep apnea that get diagnosed either way have similar CPAP adherence and patient-reported outcomes. For this reason, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that either method can be used in these types of patients.
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Studies of the associations between sleep apnea and heart disease in large communities of individuals provide strong evidence that untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of developing high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke and premature death. There are known physiological mechanisms to explain how sleep apnea increases heart disease risk, which include injury of blood vessels and the heart muscle.
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Two bacterial diseases are the leading causes of tooth loss. One is dental caries (tooth decay), and the other is periodontitis (gum disease). Periodontitis affects all of the tissues that hold the tooth in place—the gum, periodontal ligament and the jaw bone itself. Over time, these tissues are destroyed by toxins produced by the bacterial infection and by the immune system’s inflammatory response to fight that infection.
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In a recent study, my colleagues at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Columbia University and Baylor Medical Center and I found that older women are at higher relative risk of developing sleep apnea-related heart disease than older men. This study turns on its head the notion that sleep apnea is a “man’s” disease- that is, traditional thinking that men are both more likely to have sleep apnea and have sleep apnea-related health problems.
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Unilateral stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve (the nerve that controls the movement of the tongue) is a new treatment for people with moderate to severe OSA who are unable to use continuous positive prtessure therapy (CPAP). CPAP, oral appliances, and some surgeries work “from the outside in” to prevent the tissues from relaxing and blocking the upper airway (nasal and oral passages).1 This nerve stimulation therapy works “from the inside out” to move the muscles and keep the airway open.
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"Didgeridoo" by "Bernard Spragg. NZ " is licensed under CC BY 2.0. In 2005, the British Medical Journal published a research study that made the American Thoracic Society International Conference “Top 5 Articles of the Year”, and since has remained a frequently talked about study that has also seemingly gained a cult following. In a randomized controlled research study, Dr.
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Type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea tend to go hand-in-hand Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are both very common, each affecting around 10% of adults in the United States. Unfortunately, T2DM and OSA often go hand-in-hand. It has been known for some time that there are a large number of people who have both conditions, although there is evidence that OSA is often undiagnosed.
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Key Stages in Memory Before addressing the role of sleep in memory, let’s review what goes into making memories and how the underlying brain activities that form memory can change over time. Problems in memory can mainly happen at three different stages: encoding, consolidation, and retrieval. Each stage has its own function and occurs within specific brain regions. Encoding refers to the first process when new information is received and stored.
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Over the years, my colleagues and I have had requests to prescribe oxygen for treating sleep apnea in patients who do not tolerate CPAP. This made some sense since some of the complications of sleep apnea are driven by a lack of oxygen during periods of apnea. However, there has been little research addressing the role of oxygen as a sleep apnea treatment. We therefore designed the Heart Biomarker Evaluation in Apnea Treatment (HeartBEAT) study.
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